He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3
This does not mean that Jesus was a miserable or unhappy person. On the contrary, Jesus spoke to His disciples about His joy, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Jesus preached good news (Luke 3:18). And you cannot preach good news with a long face.
The Bible says that God is forever blessed (Rom. 9:5). He is content and at peace. He has fullness of joy in Himself. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, which means Jesus is joy in the flesh.
So why was Jesus, the fountain of all joy, a man of sorrows? Isaiah gives us three reasons: First, He was “despised and rejected by men.” Second, He was “as one from whom men hide their faces.” And third, “he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isa. 53:3).
Jesus came to His own and His own did not receive Him (John 1:11). When He preached in His hometown, they tried to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:29). When He performed miracles, they said He was possessed by the devil (Mark 3:22). And when He restored a man who had terrorized a community, they begged Him to leave (Mark 5:17).
Isaiah 53:3 tells us the process by which a person comes to a verdict about Jesus. Each line explains what came before. He was despised and rejected. Why? Because we hid our faces from Him. Why did we hide our faces from Him? Because we esteemed Him not.
Unbelief is a decision in which the whole person is involved. The mind, the heart, and the will are all engaged in faith, and they are all engaged in unbelief.
Reflect on how your mind, heart, and will were all involved in your verdict about Jesus.
